Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) Shares Sold by Stifel Financial Corp

Stifel Financial Corp lowered its position in Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 239,103 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 8,854 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp owned 0.07% of Eversource Energy worth $13,732,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ES. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Eversource Energy by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,855 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $107,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Eversource Energy by 38.4% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 710 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Summit Trail Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Eversource Energy by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 4,893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH boosted its position in shares of Eversource Energy by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 9,090 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $522,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of Eversource Energy by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 7,732 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $444,000 after buying an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.99% of the company’s stock.

Eversource Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ES stock opened at $57.86 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.05, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.58. Eversource Energy has a one year low of $52.28 and a one year high of $69.01. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $59.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $60.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.01. Eversource Energy had a return on equity of 10.99% and a net margin of 6.82%. Equities analysts anticipate that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.7525 per share. This represents a $3.01 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.20%. This is a boost from Eversource Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 4th. Eversource Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 130.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ES shares. Barclays decreased their price target on Eversource Energy from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Eversource Energy from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of Eversource Energy in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Eversource Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.78.

Insider Transactions at Eversource Energy

In other Eversource Energy news, insider Frederica M. Williams sold 3,092 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.26, for a total value of $192,507.92. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,671 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,411,496.46. This trade represents a 12.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Jay S. Buth sold 980 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.99, for a total transaction of $61,730.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 24,374 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,535,318.26. This trade represents a 3.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

About Eversource Energy

Eversource Energy, a public utility holding company, engages in the energy delivery business. The company operates through Electric Distribution, Electric Transmission, Natural Gas Distribution, and Water Distribution segments. It is involved in the transmission and distribution of electricity; solar power facilities; and distribution of natural gas.